The Picos de Europa

Asturias – where the mountains meet the sea

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We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, since 2 October 2015 we have included a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we now publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

Julie, AustraliaSeptember 2018

A fabulous walk in beautiful country. Except on the gorge walk on day one, we saw almost no one on the tracks. The walking distance each day and level of difficulty were just right and the track notes were the best we’ve had on the guided walks we’ve done through various operators. Logistics were seamless. The team was very responsive to questions when we were planning the walk and happy to accommodate different arrangements for departure which fitted our onward travel needs. We will definitely use Inntravel again.

Mrs S Warring TruroMay 2018

On day one, the Cares Gorge, we were blessed with perfect weather. The views were spectacular, the sky a deep inky blue with Golden Eagles and vultures soaring high above and prolific goats grazing on the mountainsides with their bells gently clanging. A long hard walk but rewarded with a welcome cold beer both at Cares and on our return to Poncebos - our taxi driver knew what he was doing when he arranged our pick up in the local bar!

We loved Jose and his charming house at Pandiello, particularly his welcome and his wonderful food and then onto our favourite walk of the holiday over the Buitres Pass.

Dr D King ShrewsburySeptember 2017

A great holiday, superbly arranged by knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful staff. The walking exceeded our expectations. We shall definitely be coming back for more.

RolySeptember 2017

This was my first holiday with Inntravel and I had a fantastic week. The concept of walking each day and not carrying bags, while staying in some charming places, was one I revelled in. This set of walks is arduous but not too difficult and the scenery and views are spectacular, while the peace and quiet are a treat. The walking notes are excellent, and at times essential and you do need to use a compass as well as the maps. The variety in the walking was wonderful, eventually ending up on the coast having started next to the towering Picos de Europa. I was excited each day by the prospect of a walk across new terrain and with new surprises to arouse the senses. Asturias is a relatively unspoilt and undiscovered part of Spain. I would highly recommend this holiday to others.

Mrs E Thompson HitchinSeptember 2017

HIGHLIGHTS: Bilbao. The walk was good but the views were limited by poor visibility, but little can be done about that!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined the walking holiday Picos de Europa with our city add-on in Bilbao

Mrs A Ashworth Henley-on-thamesSeptember 2017

An excellent holiday in almost all respects in a fantatsic part of the world: gorgeous scenery, friendly locals, delightful food and wine. The walks were as described and supported by well documented notes and maps. The hotels / guest houses were all in their own way fantastic. Looking forward to our next one!!

AnonAugust 2017

A good holiday with potential to be excellent if Inntravel sorts out a number of issues. The biggest disapointment was the lack of any alternative (apart from a concrete road and a taxi) to the high level walk across the Collau los Buitres when weather was poor. After all this is Asturias and the weather is often poor! Also some of the notes need clarification and updating.

Inntravel response

The walks were checked and notes updated at the beginning of the year, since when the feedback has been excellent, but we are checking the specific instances brought to our attention by this customer.

Mrs B Cain USAAugust 2017

Highlights: Five days of walking, without rain during the day, in glorious country - alone, totally alone on the trails all day. Narrow tracks under the chestnuts and oaks often between moss covered old stone walls, pastures with ruined and some restored stone barns, portions along the old Roman road. In places, soft almost knee high grass. Around the turns, another more interesting than the last horreo. Always, in the forest, most often beyond view, were the cows, their bells reminding us we weren't truly alone.

Mrs J Anderson FranceAugust 2017

The feeling of satisfaction on arriving at Posada del Babel was immense. What a pleasure to receive such a warm greeting from the owners and what a delightfully elegant place to stay! We particularly enjoyed our stay at the guest house in Casa de Aldea and the delicate attentive nature of the owner there too.

Ms N Lemmo USAJuly 2017

Four of us hiked the Picos de Europa trail in early July. The route was a mix of animal paths, farm roads and hiking paths. They took us through beautiful and sometimes seemingly remote parts of the mountains. It was nice to have a small group. The hike was a beautiful and satisfying, but it was important to have prepared well before undertaking the challenge. We walked at least 7 hours each day. Several of the lodgings were very nice and the food top notch. We felt well cared for throughout the hike.Walking poles and rain gear should be added to the essential packing list!

DB - BristolJune 2017

My personal highlights were the fields of wildflowers - including bee orchids. The birds of prey on the thermals were stunning; we understand a number were vultures, seen dirfting in profile they were very close - and appreared curious about us.

Hotel Posada de Babel was special - a really restful final stop on the holiday.

Recommendations - take field glasses if space, and robust (rather than lightweight) walking boots as the ground can be very wet, slippy and uneven - on the cattle tracks in particular.

AnonJune 2017

I was delighted to discover this area of Spain, extraordinarily pretty and different to anywhere else I've been.

Mr D George High PeakJune 2017

This is an absolutely great holiday away from it all with spectacular scenery, challenging but amazing walking and very friendly hoteliers.

Ms R Best USASeptember 2016

The best part of the trip was seeing parts of the country we would otherwise not be able to see if we weren't hiking. The concept of Inntravel is wonderful...having our bags transfered for us and to take care of all of the food was such a stress relief.

Mr C James BansteadSeptember 2016

The Cares Gorge was a highlight a spectacular world wide walk.

We were also fortunate to be in Llanes for the annual Religious Festival of La Guía

Miss J Russell JerseySeptember 2016

The walking was great. Scenery was spectacular. Really lucky with weather - was almost too hot to walk !! The Gorge was great. We walked the recommended Santiago de Camino route on last day - scenery wasn't that great. Overall would highly recommend

Mr S McDonald ChelmsfordJuly 2016

This rates highly on the list of Inntravel holidays we have tried (10th to date) over the previous 15 years. There is a good variety of family run hotels and varied walking. There is a real feeling of remoteness on a couple of days as the paths are generally unused and the only signs of life are in the Hamlets occasionally encountered en-route, Fortunately 1 or 2 of them being big enough to support a bar. It was at one of these bars we had the opportunity to try the local cider poured in the traditional fashion with a holidaying family. A couple of the days required a step up in concentration to maintain the route as animal tracks are used rather than footpaths, and certain areas were overgrown with ferns and gorse obscuring the way,possibly due to the time of our travel. The gorse also left our legs looking a little worse for wear, take note long walking trousers advised on couple of the days.

We travelled the end of July / beginning of August which with hindsight we may have revised due to the humidity, the overgrown paths, and the last couple of days coinciding with the start of the Spanish holiday period. Certain areas got a lot livelier especially the beaches at the end of the walk, however this did not detract from the overall holiday for us. A special mention for restaurant “Santelmo” where on the second night we dined on– Fabada, goat cheese, and Kid.

Ms R Thomas GloucesterJuly 2016

We have recently returned from a wonderful week, walking in the Picos de Europa. We found the walks pleasantly challenging, but perfectly achievable. The notes provided were detailed and really well written and we felt very comfortable striding off every morning into the unknown. The walks were varied and we really enjoyed seeing the different scenery as each day unfolded: the wonderful mountain views, the green pastures, the tumbling streams and finally the rocky coastline. The paths were more or less deserted - we met hardly any other walkers although we did come across plenty of goats and cows and the occasional farmer, all of whom greeted us with a friendly wave! We were also very impressed with the standard of the accomodation provided, we enjoyed the mix of hotels and rural houses and we were well looked after. The food generally was plentiful and of a good standard, with a couple of places which were exceptional. This was our first Inntravel holiday and we are already planning our next!

Mrs P Clough Hope ValleyJuly 2016

The Cares Gorge, the glacial lakes and the alternative coast walk to La Pereda were fantastic days (made even better as the sun shone).

The people both on our walk and at the hotels we used were all so friendly and helpful. The rural settings, meadows of wild flowers were a bonus. We hope to go back again (maybe able to see the mountain tops).

A superb, relaxing holiday. We couldn't ask for more. Thank you.

Mr S Warne New ZealandJune 2016

I'm no stranger to multiday walks but usually plan my own routes using marked tracks. Therefore the idea of using walking notes caused some trepidation but found them very easy to use. Errors were generally of my own making due to incorrect estimation of distances walked. Even on one occasion where a new road to a new dairying building completely threw me there were enough clues to get back on track. Each hotel was a gem in its own way with the staff well used to the requirements of Inntravel and their clients.

Picos & Pongas
"I love to escape the tyranny of the rucksack and amble unfettered through flowery meadows – and when it comes to meadows this is the place. Asturias is intricate limestone country, largely undamaged by modern agriculture and, in early June, is a floral paradise. The first day's walk out of Cabrales set the tone with thrush song, freshly-mown hay and a short climb through holm oaks leading to a narrow track contouring beneath huge cliffs, where some thoughtful shepherd had left a plastic cup on a wire next to a trickle of water oozing miraculously from the rock."Stephen Venables, The Great Outdoors Magazine, January 2010